David comes from Sydney, Australia where he studied journalism and then international relations. He moved to Oxford to pursue his studies in theology and train as an apologist from a skeptical, atheist background as an anti-Christian gay activist. David now holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in theology from Oxford, a master’s degree in theology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and is now completing his doctorate (DPhil) in theology at Oxford. He specialises in the relationship between queer theory, asceticism and contemporary Anglican theology, especially ethics, and the role of desire in knowing God. He’s in the process of discerning a call to ordination.
David is an author, passionate communicator and budding scholar who speaks and writes on a wide range of topics including theology, desire, beauty, ethics, and sexuality. He is frequently asked to appear and speak internationally in a variety of settings including churches, academic conferences, national radio and TV including VICE Australia, and on BBC platforms such as the BBC One Documentary, Young, Gay, Christian. As a celibate Christian, he is seeking to be a fresh voice on the topics of love, desire, and sexuality in order to show how people can live and flourish through Christ’s teaching. David has recently published his first book, A War of Loves (Zondervan, 2018). It describes his own story from atheistic gay activism to becoming a follower of Jesus, in which he advocates for a positive moral vision of biblical sexuality and discipleship. His other interests include French, Latin, church history and patristics, writing, travel, cooking, reading books, and living in Christian community.